The Grimaldi Group will take advantage of Alfa Laval PureSOx scrubber connectivity on five ACL vessels

The Grimaldi Group, a long-time Alfa Laval PureSOx customer, has signed an agreement for PureSOx connectivity services on five vessels operated by Atlantic Container Line (ACL). The services will provide not only compliance monitoring, but also valuable data for use in optimizing PureSOx operation.

The Grimaldi Group has been using PureSOx for exhaust gas cleaning aboard its vessels since 2014. ACL, a Grimaldi Group company specialized in transatlantic cargo shipping, has hybrid PureSOx scrubber systems installed on all five of its Generation 4 (G4) vessels: Atlantic Sail, Atlantic Sea, Atlantic Sky, Atlantic Star and Atlantic Sun.

The PureSOx systems on these vessels will now be retrofitted with the Alfa Laval Remote Emission Monitor (ALREM), a data reporting and storage device that forms the basis for the growing PureSOx connectivity programme. The Grimaldi Group has signed an agreement for PureSOx connectivity that extends over the next three years, after which the services and their benefits will be evaluated.

New benefits with connected technology

In fact, connectivity based on the ALREM is just one part of a much larger PureSOx service agreement for the ACL vessels. Training, yearly inspections, spare part supply and a sensor exchange programme are also included in the contract. But the addition of connectivity creates altogether new possibilities.

“We are eager to start taking advantage of connectivity with our PureSOx systems,” says Pierluigi Marmo, Technical Manager of the ACL G4 vessels. “Alfa Laval provides us with good service already, but the customized connectivity services will increase our own insight and give us even greater access to the Alfa Laval service organization. Both of those things will make life easier for ACL and the Grimaldi Group as a whole.”

Part of a total connectivity strategy

In addition to strengthening the ties between the ACL vessels and Alfa Laval service expertise, the ALREM will fit neatly into the Grimaldi Group’s own connectivity plans. The group is working on a proprietary solution to connect equipment across its vessels, into which the ALREM will also be integrated. This will ensure that all information valuable to the Grimaldi Group is available in one place.

“We’ve seen the value that collected data can offer,” says Dario Bocchetti, Corporate Energy Saving Manager for the Grimaldi Group. “By evaluating data from the current data logging system, for example, we’ve realized that PureSOx releases even less SOx than if we were sailing on MGO. With a fully connected solution based on the ALREM, such analyses will be far easier to perform.”

Strong partnership going forward

Ultimately, Bocchetti sees the potential for making even better use of the PureSOx scrubbers across the Grimaldi Group. “Connectivity is useful for seeing where we are and demonstrating our compliance easily, but it will also be beneficial for our operational levels down the road,” he explains. “The more Alfa Laval can help us learn from the data, the more we can help our crews to understand our PureSOx systems and operate them in an optimal way.”

The possibility of enhancing reliability, savings and control makes Bocchetti enthusiastic about deepening the already long partnership between the Grimaldi Group and Alfa Laval. “We are glad to be part of the development surrounding the scrubber digitalization, ALREM and PureSOx connectivity,” he concludes. “The Grimaldi Group has worked closely with Alfa Laval in exhaust gas cleaning and we believe strongly in this next step together.”